Monday 17th January, 9pm,
Here and on Youtube
It’s the most important and exciting date on the gameshow calendar, the LIVE reveal of the Poll of the Year results! Join David Bodycombe, Dan Peake, myself and some extremely special guests as everyone finds out what you’ve voted for, for better or worse.
You’ve watched the video, now read the write up on UKGameshows.com featuring your comments!
The vote percentages will be hidden after the cut:
OK, in each category we’ll list the Top 20 or so, the percentage represents the percentage of ballots the show appeared on:
| HALL OF FAME | |
| Moneybags | 57.7 |
| The Answer Trap | 57.7 |
| I Literally Just Told You | 41.4 |
| Lingo | 35.1 |
| Quizness | 30.6 |
| Lightning | 23.4 |
| I Can See Your Voice | 22.5 |
| The Weakest Link | 19.8 |
| Unbeatable | 17.1 |
| Sitting On A Fortune | 13.5 |
| The Masked Dancer | 10.8 |
| The Tournament | 10.8 |
| This Is My House | 9.9 |
| GamesMaster | 9.0 |
| Apocalypse Wow | 7.2 |
| Question Team | 7.2 |
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks | 6.3 |
| Outsiders | 6.3 |
| Bank Balance | 5.4 |
| The Void | 5.4 |
| Can I Improve My Memory? | 4.5 |
| TV Showdown | 4.5 |
| Moneyball | 3.6 |
| The Birthday Cake Game | 3.6 |
| HALL OF SHAME | |
| Bank Balance | 70.3 |
| Moneyball | 52.3 |
| Walk the Line | 39.6 |
| The Void | 37.8 |
| The Tournament | 25.2 |
| Lightning | 20.7 |
| Game of Talents | 19.8 |
| Sitting On A Fortune | 18.9 |
| Unbeatable | 15.3 |
| The Masked Dancer | 9.0 |
| Cooking With The Stars | 8.1 |
| Lingo | 7.2 |
| I Can See Your Voice | 6.3 |
| Murder Island | 6.3 |
| Quizness | 5.4 |
| TV Showdown | 5.4 |
| Pooch Perfect | 4.5 |
| The Cabins | 4.5 |
| The Love Trap | 4.5 |
| The Weakest Link | 4.5 |
| Moneybags | 2.7 |
| This Is My House | 2.7 |
| Undeniable | 2.7 |
| Only Connect | 53.2 |
| House of Games | 40.5 |
| Taskmaster | 31.5 |
| The Chase | 29.7 |
| The Wheel | 20.7 |
| Beat the Chasers | 16.2 |
| The Masked Singer | 15.3 |
| Who Wants to be… | 12.6 |
| Pointless | 11.7 |
| Tipping Point | 11.7 |
| Moneybags | 10.8 |
| The Hit List | 10.8 |
| The Answer Trap | 9.9 |
| Winning Combination | 8.1 |
| Impossible | 6.3 |
| Lingo | 6.3 |
| Mastermind | 6.3 |
| The Wall | 6.3 |
| Countdown | 5.4 |
| Rolling In It | 5.4 |
| Strictly | 5.4 |
| The Cube | 5.4 |
| University Challenge | 5.4 |
| Catchphrase | 4.5 |
| I Literally Just Told You | 4.5 |
| Blankety Blank | 3.6 |
| Cats Countdown | 3.6 |
| Quizness | 3.6 |
| The Weakest Link | 3.6 |
For your perusal, the entirety of the New Media Five list for you to explore – some non formatty ones towards the end but I’ll let you figure those out:
| NEW MEDIA FIVE | |
| Ash The Bash+K4J3:K50 | 15.3 |
| Royal Flush | 13.5 |
| Fingers on Buzzers | 10.8 |
| No More Jockeys | 8.1 |
| Topper1’s Quizzical Evening | 7.2 |
| TV Show and Tell | 6.3 |
| New World | 5.4 |
| Beast Game | 1.8 |
| Dan Peake | 1.8 |
| Insiders | 1.8 |
| Mysterious Monsters | 1.8 |
| Nailed It | 1.8 |
| Taskmaster Podcast | 1.8 |
| The Circle | 1.8 |
| Two of These People Are Lying | 1.8 |
| Albert Squared | 0.9 |
| Arcade Pit | 0.9 |
| Baking Impossible | 0.9 |
| Blown Away | 0.9 |
| Brain of Britain | 0.9 |
| Dishmantled | 0.9 |
| Do You Want It or Nahh | 0.9 |
| GamesMaster | 0.9 |
| Hometown Showdown | 0.9 |
| HQ Trivia | 0.9 |
| Jay’s Virtual Pub Quiz | 0.9 |
| Just a Minute | 0.9 |
| Last Presenter Standing | 0.9 |
| No Rolls Barred | 0.9 |
| Off Menu | 0.9 |
| Online Quiz League | 0.9 |
| Pappy’s Flatshare | 0.9 |
| Playtech Millionaire | 0.9 |
| PodQuiz | 0.9 |
| Popmaster | 0.9 |
| Quarantstream | 0.9 |
| Quizzlemania | 0.9 |
| School of Chocolate | 0.9 |
| Shut Up and Sit Down | 0.9 |
| St Elwood’s | 0.9 |
| Super Boss Bros | 0.9 |
| The Birthday Cake Game | 0.9 |
| The Chase Extra | 0.9 |
| The News Quiz | 0.9 |
| Three Bean Salad | 0.9 |
| Trivia Tower | 0.9 |
| What the Fudge | 0.9 |
| Wink Martindale | 0.9 |
| Zoomdown | 0.9 |
| Triviality | 0.9 |
| Fighting Talk | 0.9 |
| Guy Montgomery’s Spelling Bee | 0.9 |
| Tom Scott In A Pub | 0.9 |
And asked on Google Poll as the evening progressed:
Was 2021 better or worse than 2020 for game shows?
Better – 61%
Same – 22%
Worse – 17%
Which channel/broadcaster has made the game shows you enjoy most?
Channel 4 – 49%
BBC2 – 19%
ITV1 to 4 – 15%
BBC1 – 13%
How much is your enjoyment of a programme affected due to the filming restrictions caused by COVID?
A little – 60%
Not at all – 27%
A fair bit – 11%
A huge glut of game show formats hit the airwaves after the relaxation of lockdown. How do you feel about this?
I’m nicely satisfied – 55%
Gimme moar! Nom, nom, nom – 36%
Bleurgh! Too… much… quiz – 9%
How do you feel about Celebrity versions of TV shows?
I don’t mind them in moderation – 62%
They’re fine, but wait a few series first – 28%
I actively dislike them, on the whole – 9%
With minority representation being a big issue, which under-used celebrity from a minority background would you like to see host a game show (or get more hosting work)?
More than one reply for: Alex Scott, Anita Rani, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Radzi Chinyanganya, Krishnan Guru-Murthy
[22:45]
Are quizzes getting harder or easier?
They’re about the same, but contestants have got better – 63%
The producers are making them easier – 21%
They’re harder than before, to keep prizes down – 16%
On the one side: the end of TV Licensing and the chance to show more of its programmes worldwide. On the other: the dismantling of a national institution and the potential loss of programmes to poorer households. So, how do you feel about the potential demise of the BBC Licence Fee?
Very negative – 49%
Somewhat negative – 23%
Neutral – 19%
Somewhat positive – 9%
Now that a TV show offers an infinite amount of money, what other things could a game show offer as the next Ultimate Prize?
Responses included: Win a large prize with an equal amount going to a charity, Your own island, NFT futures, Dream job, New house, Trip to space, Bitcoin, Retirement, Holidays
HIDDEN GEM AWARD – Which of the new minor shows do you think deserves special recognition?
The Birthday Cake Game – 23%
Apocalypse Wow – 17%
Can I Improve My Memory? – 11%
Outsiders – 11%
The Greatest Snowman – 11%
J
As someone who prefers celebrity editions (I don’t care if regular people Catchphrase never comes back), I felt there was no option for me to pick in the Google Poll.
Likewise, as someone who found that Covid restrictions renewed my interest in some shows (I watched the first Pointless Celebrities with screens and without an audience because it was a new twist on an old format. See also Collin Murrey Countdown), I felt there was no positive option for me to choose for that question either.
The next big thing will be Covid era shows that continue to be made after Covid. What will The Wheel be like if it gets a studio audience? What will Lingo be like if they bring in a physical combat round?
In the above result tables. What is the title for the one that starts Only Connect, House of Games, Taskmaster?
The Wheel already has a live audience actually BUT they’re watching in a separate auditorium. Tickets were available from Lost in TV and we pondered how it was going to work.
The result is the Golden Five.
Watched this with the sound on last night, after sneaking a few peeks (and Peakes) at it, live, on mute while I was working the night shift on Sunday. Great fun, as ever, and thanks to all the panellists. (I wouldn’t want any of the panelists to miss out, but five people seemed to lead to a much higher incidence of people talking over each other than four – more in line with 67% extra possible conversational pairs, than with 25% extra voices.) I missed the appearance of the Game Show Prime Minister joke of long standing. Last night I dreamt that you (plural) made a few of the “tomorrow’s programming” shows as well, and did so with great style, which was mind-blowing.
I have thoughts about the New Media Five and can see at least two models to consider.
One would be to compare audio against audio, and separately compare streaming video against streaming video. The audio category would include radio shows and podcasts, for what are podcasts if not timeshifted radio shows? The streaming video would include both shows streamed across Netflix / Apple Plus / BritBox and also shows streamed across YouTube or Twitch. Maybe “stream” is not entirely appropriate terminology, as there’s a difference between livestreaming interactive shows and on-demand shows where you can’t play along.
Another model would be to compare professional works, whether audio or video, against professional works, and to compare fan works, whether audio or video, against fan works. Drawing a dividing line between the two may not be clear; where would you put Fingers on Buzzers, which is made by established pros and has ads, and where would you put the original run of Tom Scott’s Money, which was behind a paywall? (If there ever were a game show streamer making enough from donations to support themselves as their primary source of income, would they change status?) It’s a blurred line, and fan works can often be more satisfying than professional ones, but I think it would be unsatisfying _not_ to see fans rewarded for their works.
I definitely think New Media needs looking at (looking at the viewing stats, it’s the bit where there’s a drop off, and also doesn’t get nearly as many votes as the other categories).
On the one hand I think it’s right to celebrate the non-linear future – it’s The Way Things Are Going and ultimately we do want to introduce people to new things that perhaps they hadn’t considered – I’d definitely prefer it if New Things were highlighted every year (this is not a slam on our current streaming friends!). OTOTH, if the solution is “more categories”. I suspect the ultimate answer will end up being “separate award ceremony” somewhere down the line.